Comparison of the Antimicrobial and Sanitizer Resistance of Salmonella Isolates from Chicken Slaughter Processes in Korea

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen worldwide. Outbreaks of Salmonella are commonly associated with consumption of contaminated foods such as poultry products. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the occurrence, biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and sanitizer resistance of Salmonella enterica isolated from chicken carcasses. A total of 318 samples were collected from 15 chicken slaughterhouses in 8 provinces of Korea. They were then examined for Salmonella contamination. S. enterica isolates were tested for their susceptibilities to 15 antimicrobials by broth microdilution method. Their biofilm formation ability and resistance to sanitizers were also evaluated. Eighty‐two isolates of S. enterica were obtained from the 318 samples. There were 14 serotypes and 2 untypable isolates. Fifty‐seven (69.5%) isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic while 30 (36.6%) isolates were resistant to 5 or more antibiotics. Two S. Senftenberg and 3 S. Montevideo isolates exhibited considerable biofilm formation ability (A₆₀₀>0.2) following incubation in Luria‐Bertani (LB) broth for 48 h. Biofilm cell survival and recovery growth assay after sanitization showed that most isolates were highly susceptible to 2.5% lactic acid and 0.1% cetylpyridinium chloride. Therefore, lactic acid and cetylpyridinium chloride might be alternatively or additionally used in addition to chlorine‐based sanitizers that are frequently used to reduce Salmonella contamination of chicken carcasses. Our results provide basic information on the distribution of Salmonella serotypes in chicken slaughterhouses. This study also highlights the necessity to improve farming practices and use antimicrobial agents cautiously. This study also suggests that sanitization during the slaughtering process might be necessary to reduce Salmonella contamination of chicken carcasses.     

Microglial FABP4-UCP2 Axis Modulates Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Decline in Obese Mice

The microglial fatty-acid-binding protein 4-uncoupling protein 2 (FABP4-UCP2) axis is a key regulator of neuroinflammation in high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed animals, indicating a role for FABP4 in brain immune response. We hypothesized that the FABP4-UCP2 axis is involved in regulating diet-induced cognitive decline. We tested cognitive function in mice lacking microglial FABP4 (AKO mice). Fifteen-week-old male AKO and wild-type (WT) mice were maintained on 60% HFD or normal chow (NC) for 12 weeks. Body composition was measured using EchoMRI. Locomotor activity, working memory, and spatial memory were assessed using behavioral tests (open field, T-maze, and Barnes maze, respectively). Hippocampal microgliosis was assessed via immunohistochemical staining. An inflammatory cytokine panel was assayed using hippocampal tissue. Real-time RT-PCR was performed to measure microglial UCP2 mRNA expression. Our data support that loss of FABP4 prevents cognitive decline in vivo. HFD-fed WT mice exhibited impaired long- and short-term memory, in contrast with HFD-fed AKO mice. HFD-fed WT mice had an increase in hippocampal inflammatory cytokine expression (IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, KC/GRO(CXCL1), IL-10, and TNFα) and microgliosis, and decreased microglial UCP2 expression. HFD-fed AKO mice had decreased hippocampal inflammatory cytokine expression and microgliosis and increased microglial UCP2 expression compared to HFD-fed WT mice. Collectively, our work supports the idea that the FABP4-UCP2 axis represents a potential therapeutic target in preventing diet-induced cognitive decline.     

First dicadmium(II) complex of tripodal amide ligand with one edge-sharing monocapped octahedral geometry

A new dicadmium(II) complex [Cd₂(L)₂(H₂O)₂](NO₃)₄ · 8H₂O (1) with the tripodal amide ligand L (tris[3-aza-2-oxo-4-(2-pyridyl)butyl]amine) was synthesized and structurally characterized. Complex 1 is revealed as a dinuclear 2:2 (Cd:L) complex, in which each cadmium(II) ion is hepta-coordinated with the coordination surrounding of distorted monocapped octahedral geometry. Two cadmium(II) ions are dibridged by two carbonyl μ-O atoms forming a Cd₂(μ-O)₂ parallelogram-type moiety. Interestingly, the dinuclear coordination sphere can be seen as resulting from the fusion of two distorted monocapped octahedral [Cd(L)(H₂O)]²⁺ units through sharing one edge originated from the two carbonyl μ-O atoms as a first example. Comparative NMR, IR and FAB-mass data of 1 are also discussed.     

Cyanidin-3-glucoside ameliorates CCl4-induced liver injury in mice

The protective effect of cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury in mice was investigated. Administration of C3G attenuated the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and liver lipid peroxidation in CCl₄-treated mice. Histopathological examination of mouse livers showed that C3G reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by CCl₄. Moreover, C3G prevented DNA damage and decreased the protein levels of γ-H2AX in CCl₄-treated mouse livers. C3G also increased the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, which were decreased due to CCl₄ administration in CCl₄-treated mouse livers. C3G inhibited the expression levels of IL-6 and iNOS in CCl₄-treated mice. C3G apparently protects the liver from CCl₄-induced hepatic damage through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.     

A comparison of historical land-use change patterns and recommendations for flood plain developments in three delta regions in Southeast Asia

Historical land-cover changes in three delta regions in Southeast Asia are assessed by using selected Landsat images from 1990 to 2005. Potential inundation areas of the delta regions for different return periods are estimated by using digital elevation model data and extreme-value distribution of annual maximum river discharges. The results indicate significant changes of natural land cover within the potential inundation areas due to agricultural exploitation and industrialization. Implications for flood-mitigation policies are discussed. There is a clear need for sustainable land-use management strategies in all three areas.     

Comparison of the antioxidant activities of roasted and explosive puffed coffees

We investigated the explosive process effect on antioxidant activities of coffee bean. The total polyphenol contents of powdered extract of explosive puffing coffee bean at 0.75 MPa (PEP 7.5) and powdered extract of explosive puffing coffee bean at 0.9 MPa (PEP 9.0) were at a significantly higher than that of the powdered extract of roasting coffee bean (PER) (P < 0.05). PEP 7.5 showed the highest levels of 3‐CQA (86.23 μg mg^?1), 4‐CQA (43.71 μg mg^?1), and 5‐CQA (31.66 μg mg^?1), and PEP 9.0 had also similar levels of chlorogenic acids, with 3‐CQA (77.99 μg mg^?1), 4‐CQA (43.71 μg mg^?1), and 5‐CQA (30.32 μg mg^?1). PEP 7.5 and PEP 9.0 showed relatively higher antioxidant capacities in DPPH, ABTS, taurine, FRAP, and β‐carotene/linoleic acid assays. PEPs partly recovered the HepG2 cell damage induced by t‐BOOH. These results suggest that puffed coffee has beneficial health effects, and could be used for the development of novel processed coffee products.     

Optimal layout of additional facilities for minimization of domino effects based on worst-case scenarios

Accidents involving domino effects are more serious than other type of accidents. Although there have been studies on such accidents, it is still difficult to examine the actual factors and causes since the domino effect is influenced nonlinearly by factors involving flame, overpressure, and flying objects. We considered the case of adding new facilities to an existing system in a given site. The layout of new facilities suggests positions that minimize the domino effects, based on nonlinear optimization taking domino factors into account. We quantitatively calculated the domino risk of each facility through the concept of combined domino factors (flame, overpressure, and missile). Also, we identified variations of domino damage extent of the target system through comparison of the impacts of domino effect when additional facilities were installed. Simulated annealing was adopted for searching optimal positions. As a case study, we applied the proposed method to the case of adding DME storage tanks in the existing LPG charging facilities. The presented framework of the quantitative assessment of domino risk and safety standard for the layout of additional facilities would be useful for proper layout design for improved accident prevention.     

Anti-adhesive effect of poloxamer-based thermo-sensitive sol-gel in rabbit laminectomy model

Poloxamer-based thermo-sensitive sol-gel has been developed to reduce the incidence of postoperative scar formation at the laminectomy site. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-adhesive effect of poloxamer based thermo-sensitive sol-gel compared to hyaluronate based solution after laminectomy, using a rabbit model. A thermo-sensitive anti-adhesive with a property of sol-gel transition was manufactured by a physical mixture of Poloxamer188/407, Chitosan and Gelatin. The viscosity in different temperatures was assessed. 72 adult New Zealand rabbits underwent lumbar laminectomy and were randomly divided into experimental (treated with the newly developed agent), positive (treated with hyaluronate based solution), and negative control groups. Each group was subdivided into 1 and 4-week subgroups. Gross and histological evaluations were performed to assess the extent of epidural adhesion. The experimental group showed significantly higher viscosity compared to the positive control group and showed a significant increase of viscosity as the temperature increased. Gross evaluation showed no statistically significant differences between the 1- and 4-week subgroups. However, histologic evaluation showed significant differences both in 1- and 4-week subgroups. Although the 4-week histologic results of the experimental and the positive control subgroups showed no significant difference, both subgroups revealed higher value compared to the negative control subgroup with regard to the ratio of adhesion less than 50?%. The new poloxamer based thermo-sensitive agent showed superior efficacy over the hyaluronate based agent at 1?week postoperatively. At 4?weeks postoperatively, there were no statistically significant differences between the two agents, although both showed efficacy over the sham group.     

Conjoint analysis for luxury brand outlet malls in Korea with consideration of customer lifetime value

As Asian economies have grown rapidly, Asia has become a new leading market of the luxury goods industry. This paper used conjoint analysis (CA) for the optimal design of a luxury brand outlet mall to maximize the customer lifetime value (CLV). This approach complements a simple CA by considering CLV. The proposed approach is then applied to designing a suburban luxury brand outlet mall in Korea, a new concept to Korea. The results indicate that the optimal design for the outlet mall is the medieval European-style mall, with the linkage to Natural Tourism, which consists of the restaurants with delicious food and the stores with similar ratio between masstige and luxury brands.